Mastering trumpet excerpts for wind band orchestra: practicing, making exercises and testing their pedagogical usefulness
(2021)
author(s): David Perez Sanchez
published in: KC Research Portal
This document presents a research, focused on case studies that aim to explore the repertoire for Wind Band and best preparation strategies for performers. It has two well-defined objectives: the first is to make a good catalogue of trumpet excerpts on original works for wind band, and the second one is to find an easy and simple way to help anyone who wants to prepare these excerpts for an audition.
The process began with a broad search for wind band jobs and repertoiry. I was mentored by many principal trumpets from different countries, mainly because it was not easy to find books about it. This was also one of the biggest motivations, but also a problem. The second step was to choose 9 of these excerpts, in which we were able to find different styles, some of them virtuosic, others with slow movements, and identify the main technical difficulties. The subsequent focus was on these difficulties and I made technical, rhythmic and also mental exercises to help improve the interpretation in a simple way.
Once all the data has been collected, I drew conclusions in order to contribute to the musical educational community and create new ways of preparing the wind band repertoire. I made these exercises with help of knowledge from performing science and the outcome was positive as this achieved almost instantaneous results, improving the student’s playing in just 3 workshops of 30 minutes each. This process was documented through recording workshops and subsequent interviews.
Key words: Music Education, Practicing skills, Wind Band repertoire, Case Studies.
The art of auditioning
(2020)
author(s): Janet Krause
published in: KC Research Portal
ABSTRACT
Main subject: Violin
Research Supervisors: Kathryn Cok
Martine van der Loo
Title of Research: The Art of Auditioning
Research Question: What aspects should be considered in preparation for a successful violin audition?
Summary of Results:
An orchestral audition, and specifically to this paper, a violin audition, is possibly the least musically satisfying experience of one’s life. However, it is a necessary part of the path leading to a fulfilling life as an orchestral musician. The preparation for an audition certainly has specific aspects which need to be considered. This paper discusses these aspects, based in large part on my experiences as a Principal in The Hague Philharmonic and as a committee member at auditions for many years. As a violin and chamber music teacher as well as the teacher of the orchestral classes at the conservatoires in The Hague and Amsterdam, I have collected a wealth of experience training students to be successful at auditions. Besides the aspects of how to apply for an orchestral audition, which repertoire needs to be prepared, (including many orchestral excerpts which I have bowed and provided with fingerings myself), how to prepare effectively and what to expect on the actual audition day, there is a large section devoted to the research I have performed concerning mental and physical preparation. Developing mental skills to withstand the stress associated with auditions is an important part of audition preparation. Finally, I have researched, by means of a series of questions online and live and Skype interviews, how experts and candidates experience auditions. This has put me in contact with leaders of orchestras from around the world. How the two groups have responded to similar questions has put me in the position to draw some conclusions as to what committees expect at auditions and how this differs from the candidates’ viewpoints. In analyzing this research, and recognizing similarities in what I written from my own research and personal experience, I am able to draw some conclusions and make recommendations about how candidates could prepare better and be more successful at auditions.
Biography:
Janet Krause is Principal Second Violinist in The Hague Philharmonic and also a violin, chamber music and orchestral studies teacher at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. She is also teaching orchestral studies at the Conservatoire in Amsterdam. Born in Canada, she completed her Bachelor of Music in Performance at the University of Toronto, having studied with Lorand Fenyves. Moving to the Netherlands, she completed her solo-diploma at the Conservatory in Amsterdam, studying with Davina van Wely. She was a member of the Salzburger Solisten for many years and. primarius of the Dufy Quartet. Presently she is also Principal of the Solistes Européens in Luxembourg.